Ariel raised the warhammer high, and a vortex woven of thunder and ocean currents coalesced before her.
With a ferocious rush, the vortex expanded outward, engulfing every kuo-toa within a hundred-meter radius.
Even Anbaixiu was left momentarily numb from the electrical current pulsing through the seawater, while every single kuo-toa caught within the thunderous vortex was killed instantly.
Such terrifying power was only slightly inferior to Storm of Vengeance; it was at least at the level of an eighth-tier spell.
Ariel turned to Anbaixiu and signed to him: *Master Ultraman, I told you it would be dangerous for you alone.*
It was rather awkward. She looked like a divine being descending to the mortal realm, yet gesturing in sign language instantly shaved away half her imposing aura.
The reality was also plain to see: the kuo-toa were not yet wiped out, and another wave had already begun closing in.
Anbaixiu could only project a message to Ariel: "Repel the enemies first!"
Working together, the two quickly spelled doom for the kuo-toa. The fishfolk had never been a match for legends like Anbaixiu and Ariel in the first place, and Anbaixiu's diverse array of methods was more than enough to keep them scrambling.
Though Ariel lacked his variety, the artifact in her hands possessed immense power. Her approach was pure, unadulterated lightning—discharging electricity again and again, in every manner imaginable. The sea was her home domain, and she practically turned the entire area into a massive pot of fish soup.
The battle lasted less than three minutes before the kuo-toa left behind a pile of corpses and retreated amidst strange, grating shrieks.
Despite their victory, Anbaixiu still failed to locate the illusionist lurking in the shadows. That creature was likely a legendary powerhouse among the kuo-toa as well, yet it had hidden itself from the very beginning and never once revealed itself before the end. Truly insidious.
He would need to prepare countermeasures so he would not run into this kind of trouble again.
Still, it was merely an illusionist; it wasn't as if he had never faced one before.
Anbaixiu's greatest asset was perhaps his several centuries of adventuring experience. He had encountered virtually every type of enemy and knew how to deal with each of them. Next time they crossed paths, he would definitely drag that kuo-toa illusionist out into the open and turn him into an undead puppet.
Ariel hung the hammer back at her waist and swam to Anbaixiu's side.
A faint electrical current still clung to her body, sparks occasionally dancing across her skin, visible even beneath the seawater.
*Master Ultraman, are you alright?*
Anbaixiu hurriedly replied, "I'm fine. Not a scratch on me."
There were a few minor scratches on his mithral mecha, but they were negligible. Unless one was bothered by tiny cosmetic blemishes, it didn't even warrant repairs.
Ariel asked, *Do you still believe your guess was correct? Could it be that these kuo-toa were controlling the sea beasts, frightening them away so as to lure us into an ambush?*
Anbaixiu did not answer directly. He simply raised his right hand and said, "I don't know. So let us ask someone who does. Great Lord of Storms, I believe I have passed your trial?"
Thunder leaped anew from the brand upon his palm, and the towering projection of Talos manifested before them.
The moment Ariel saw the deity she worshipped appear, she instinctively moved to kneel in reverence. Talos, however, did not even look at her. His gaze was fixed entirely on Anbaixiu.
"Your performance was hardly satisfying. After all, it was my believer who came to your aid. I wanted to see how you would break free from that confounding influence, but those kuo-toa proved far too useless."
Talos had always despised battles that fizzled out after a grand start, but the kuo-toa did not answer to him and had fled after taking heavy casualties.
Ariel had never dreamed that the ambush just now had been arranged by the Lord of Storms. Had she disrupted the great deity's designs?
Just as she was about to plead for divine forgiveness, Anbaixiu spoke up first. "If You wish to witness a more entertaining battle, You would be better off watching the war between Ryan and the orcs. They are locked in a fight to the death; it must be far more interesting than a little skirmish like mine."
Ariel froze. How could this lich speak so casually? Did he have any idea whom he was addressing?
In her heart, Talos was the embodiment of destruction. No deity in the world was more majestic or terrifying. Was this lich not afraid of offending Talos and incurring his wrath?
Even more shocking to Ariel was Talos's reaction. The deity seemed entirely unbothered by Anbaixiu's tone. Instead, he chuckled with great interest.
"Thanks to you! If you hadn't delivered those magic mirrors to Ryan, they would certainly have lost by now. And if you hadn't sent Ryan a general with such remarkable leadership, they would have lost as well. Then again, you also supplied the orcs with a considerable number of undead troops, so it balances out. Now they clash every single day, putting on a marvelous show for me!"
This time, it was Anbaixiu's turn to be stunned. "Ryan would lose? How is that possible?"
In Anbaixiu's memory, orcs fought with no discipline or strategy whatsoever. An individual orc might be slightly stronger than an average Ryan soldier, but in large-scale army clashes without coordination, they were little better than cannon fodder. Yet Talos claimed that without the magic mirrors, Ryan would have been defeated?
Talos laughed heartily and explained, "You didn't know? A prodigy has emerged among the orcs—a youth capable of long-range telepathic communication with any of his kin. Orcs who once fought purely on instinct have suddenly become a disciplined elite. Under his command, Ryan has already lost several engagements.
"After all, the gap in individual martial prowess isn't wide. A commander who can issue orders to every soldier simultaneously possesses a truly terrifying degree of control. Crucially, long-distance communication is no longer an obstacle for the orcs. Do you know how effortless warfare becomes for a general who commands complete battlefield awareness? If you hadn't sent those magic mirrors to Ryan, their border cities would have fallen by now."
Anbaixiu said in surprise, "Gruumsh has actually started blessing the clever rather than just the strong?"
Talos smiled. "Did you think only mortals can perceive the turning of the tides? The gods have witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations. We understand the omens of a changing world far better than you. The blessings of the pantheon will only grow more frequent until they brush against the boundary set by Ao.
"Your war engines are steadily transforming the very nature of conflict in this world. Who knows? Perhaps one day the people of Ryan will come to you to order undead weaponry. That would be rich indeed!"
"Then I truly must thank You for the reminder. I will be sure to keep a close eye on it."
Anbaixiu certainly looked forward to such a day. Why must fighting and killing always cost mortal lives? It would be so much better if warfare were entirely unmanned. War always cost money anyway, so why shouldn't that money flow into his pockets?
However, that was not Anbaixiu's immediate concern. He pressed on, addressing Talos: "Lord of Storms, though there was a slight hiccup during this trial, I trust that a deity as great as You would never breach an agreement, correct? What of my reward?"
"No wonder the gods all say you are an insatiably greedy lich. You truly dare to haggle with me? Very well. Since your performance was compromised, your reward shall be discounted accordingly. I can offer you a piece of intelligence: the Githyanki you seek are indeed here. And I will also tell you that the reason they have managed to hide here is because I permitted them to survive."
Talos's words plunged Anbaixiu into deep thought. Moments later, a bold hypothesis formed in his mind.
"This Sea of Thunder... was crafted by Your own hands, wasn't it? The reason Ariel and I could deter the sea beasts in this region was not because we are legends, but because Ariel carries Your artifact and I bear Your brand."
Talos greatly appreciated Anbaixiu's intellect; this lich truly had a knack for piecing grand truths together from the faintest clues.
"Indeed. This stretch of ocean was forged by my own hand. In fact, long ago, it went by another name: the Arena of the Storm, a colosseum where my followers fought to entertain me. Regrettably, it has lain derelict for ages. Little skeleton, care to undertake another trial?"
Before Talos had even finished speaking, Anbaixiu asked, "Do You wish to reopen this arena?"
"Precisely. You are clever indeed. Enter it, and you should know how to earn my satisfaction."
"Well..."
Anbaixiu hesitated. He didn't want to waste time on such nonsense. He was no battle-crazed warmonger, and slaughtering foes in an arena held zero appeal for him.
Yet, as though reading Anbaixiu's thoughts, Talos added, "Many souls who perished in that arena still linger in these waters..."
The instant he heard that, Anbaixiu said without a shred of hesitation, "It would be my absolute honor to stage the grandest duel for the glorious Lord of Storms! Finding a proper resting place for those valorous fallen warriors is my sacred duty! Leave everything to me!"
Those were heroic spirits who had died in glorious battle, lingering in these waters across countless eras. Just how powerful must such spirits be?
At this point, whether they found the Githyanki or the mind flayers on this voyage no longer mattered. These heroic spirits were the truly priceless harvest!
This was precisely the reaction Talos had anticipated. Seeing that Anbaixiu had taken the bait, he turned his head toward Ariel, who had remained prostrated on the seabed throughout.
"My devout follower, you have done well. Cooperating with this lich twice was a wise choice."
Ariel respectfully replied, "All glory belongs to You, great deity!"
Yet the moment the words left her mouth, a flicker of bewilderment struck her.
*Twice? Did he mean the alchemy factory in the Raging Tide Kingdom and this sea voyage?*
"Hahaha! Keep up the good work. Your devotion shall surely be rewarded!"
Talos's projection slowly dissipated, and the bracelet on Anbaixiu's wrist glowed once more.
Only then did Ariel rise. She looked at Anbaixiu in astonishment and said, *I never expected that you had received the blessing of the Lord of Storms as well. Partnering with you truly was the right choice. But when He mentioned two collaborations just now, I felt a strange sensation... almost as if I have known you for a very long time...*
"That is not important," Anbaixiu said, cutting off her train of thought and instantly changing the subject.
"Let us press forward. The Githyanki are inside, along with the arena's heroic spirits who have wandered here for who knows how many years. Your Highness, this is a trial given to both of us by Talos. Please put aside these irrelevant thoughts and focus on the task ahead. You wouldn't want to disappoint Talos, would you?"
Ariel's expression hardened into one of solemn resolve. *Never. I shall dedicate all glory to my Lord!*
Chapter 462